May 20, 2010

Power Source: The Straight Poop

Need an economical way to power your computer? How about some cow crap? According to a May 18th article in The New York Times, dairy farms--and cow manure in particular--are getting the spotlight. Using the waste as a source of energy, large companies are taking a closer look at what rural areas can offer. Really, what's a little biogas between friends?

One Moos and One Hums, but They Could Help Power GoogleBy ASHLEE VANCEThe New York TimesPublished May 18, 2010

"Companies have historically tended to build their large computing centers — often called server farms — in or near large cities and industries. As this practice has continued over the years, it has become difficult for companies building the largest data centers to find enough cheap electricity and real estate to meet their needs.

The rise of higher-speed data transfer networks, however, has given technology companies a chance to move farther from large populations and still be able to get information to them as quickly as they need it. So companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com and Microsoft have been engaged in a mad dash to find spots in the United States that have plenty of electricity and land. As a result, more data centers have been built in states like Washington, Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma. If those locations are near dairy farms, so much the better.

Rather than being an alternative energy convenience, this approach could benefit companies operating in countries like China and India that need to find an economical way to power their computing centers."